Review of TP-LINK Archer C5 router

TP-Link Archer C5 is an old and classic wireless router, popular in the market of affordable routers. Its success convinced the company to create a new version of this model, the TP-Link Archer C5 v4. If you want to know if TP-Link Archer C5 v4 is right for your needs, read this review:

Who is the TP-Link Archer C5 v4?

This wireless router is a suitable choice for:

1. People with small or medium apartments
2. Users who own the new device can connect to a faster 5GHz WiFi network, using the 802.11ac wireless standard
3. People who have limited budgets or don't need advanced features

Hardware specifications and design

TP-Link Archer C5 v4 is a new version of an old and popular model. The new version is white, light and glossy. This is a dual band wireless router with maximum theoretical bandwidth of 1200Mbps, divided as follows: 300Mbps for 2.4GHz band and 867Mbps for 5GHz band. As you can see below, it has 4 external antennas. They are quite tall and not removable.

TP-Link Archer C5 v4 has a modest MediaTek MT7620A single-core processor, running at 600MHz, 64MB RAM and only 8MB of storage space for the firmware. TP-Link Archer C5 v4 provides support for 802.11ac Wave 2 and 2x2 MU-MIMO standards. It also supports older 802.11 b / g / n standards, providing lower speed and compatibility with older devices.

On the back of the TP-Link Archer C5 v4, you can find 4 Ethernet ports operating at 1Gbps, one WAN port (1Gbps speed), USB 2.0 port, power button, power jack, WPS button and button. Reset. On the bottom, you have two holes for attaching the router to the wall (this will be appreciated by some users).

The router has a compact size of 230 x 144 x 37mm and is quite light (only 719g).

Setting up and using the TP-Link Archer C5 v4 wireless router

Setting up the TP-Link Archer C5 v4 wireless router to work like any other WiFi router. When starting the quick setup wizard, you are first asked to create a password for the router. This is a welcome security measure and you should not use an easy-to-guess password.

After setting the password for the router, the quick setup wizard will ask you to select the type of Internet connection. It is surprising that the TP-Link Archer C5 v4 does not automatically detect the type of Internet connection like other TP-Link routers. You must then enter the appropriate connection details.

At the end of the quick setup wizard, you will see a summary of the initial settings and can check if your internet connection is working or not.

The administrative user interface is divided into two tabs: Basic and Advanced.

The firmware of TP-Link Archer C5 v4 does not have multilingual support. Everything is only available in English.

The help documentation is easy to access and provides detailed explanations of all the settings you see on the current screen. Inexperienced users will appreciate this.

The performance of the TP-Link Archer C5 v4 wireless router is a bit inconsistent on the 2.4GHz band. However, performance on the 5GHz band is the exact opposite.

The user experience provided by TP-Link Archer C5 v4 is generally good. Users get all the basics they need and the performance on the 5GHz wireless band is surprisingly good.

However, there are also some drawbacks, such as some inconsistent speeds on the 2.4GHz band, no multilingual software and a little less intelligent setup wizard than other wireless routers. of the same company.

Advantages and disadvantages

TP-Link Archer C5 v4 has the following positive points:

1. Prices are very affordable
2. The speed you get on the 5GHz wireless band is considered great for a router in this price range
3. This router provides most of the basics that people need
4. A 3G / 4G USB modem can be used as backup for the main Internet connection
5. Can be mounted on a wall
6. Help documents are easily accessible

There are also a few drawbacks:

1. There is no smartphone application. This needs to be fixed with future firmware and software updates
2. Firmware is only available in English
3. Performance on the 2.4GHz band is a bit inconsistent

Conclude

TP-Link Archer C5 v4 is a welcome innovation of a popular wireless router. It has support for the latest 802.11ac Wave 2 standard, newer firmware with some interesting features and provides a good user experience on the 5GHz wireless band.

Its price is affordable and provides most of the basics people need to stay connected in their apartment. As long as you do not own a large house with many devices, TP-Link Archer C5 v4 will be a suitable choice.